A tragic Spokane Valley car accident Oct. 5 claimed the life of two University High School sophomores, Josie Freier and McKenzie Mott. Mott was a resident of Liberty Lake.

A third student, 16-year-old driver and friend Preston Maher, was injured when the vehicle lost control and hit a tree on a residential road.

The accident led to an outpouring of unity and support in the Central Valley School District and beyond. CVSD Public Information Officer Melanie Rose said the response of the community was overwhelming, listing several responses just within the CVSD community. Among them:

• Hundreds of Central Valley High School students wore Titan colors on Oct. 7.

• Throughout the district, students promoted and collected donations for the Toys For Titans drive, delivering them to U-Hi for an Oct. 11 assembly.

• The CVHS community designed and produced crimson stickers for football players to wear on their helmets for the annual Greasy Pig rivalry game Oct. 11. U-Hi players also wore the stickers on their helmets for the game. CVHS leadership students also cut and assembled individual crimson and gold ribbons on safety pins for CV students to wear at the game.

• CVHS Principal Mike Hittle and Assistant Principal Brandon Deyarmin helped organize a district-wide toy drive and offered to collect donations to deliver to U-Hi Friday morning. The drive became so large that CVSD trucks were brought in to collect the toys. Hittle and Deyarmin attended the assembly and helped move toys in and out of the gym.

• Proceeds from CV's October blood drive were earmarked for Maher.

• Toys From Titans donations flooded in from schools across the district, including a drive at Greenacres Middle School that covered an entire stage.

Mott, a varsity soccer player at U-Hi, is survived by her parents Larry and Connie Mott; siblings Joshua (Jessica) Mott, Jeremy (Felicia Gumm) Mott and Mallory (Sean Lanphere) Mott; her grandmother, Lucille Mott; and many extended family members.

Funeral services were held Oct. 12 at Redeemer Lutheran Church, and memorial contributions are suggested to the Redeemer Lutheran VBS.